Woodstoves, as much work as they are, if a chance ever arises to have one I will. I love them. I have spent a fair bit of time in cabins where they are the only source of cooking. Toast in the morning over wood coals is to die for. Coffee perked on a wood stove then enjoyed outside on rock next to the lake -listening to loons, makes one warm and fuzzy.

I was asked in a questionnaire once: If you could be anything what would you be? I answered at the time ‘mountain’ if I could see an ocean. Mountains from a distance have that old man/old woman charm till you climb one and you see how cranky they can be.

Hehehe, what a great answer. Creative too. That last is so true, my sister and I had a limited amount of time once, and she wanted to go up Mt. Lafayette in the White Mountains one day. So we drove up there, and then no lie, we ran up the mountain and then ran back down (youth, haha). I never did figure out what that accomplished for her, we had hiked up and down that particular mountain a dozen times already.

Ha! good plan at the moment. Wait did you write RAN UP?
Have only been through the White Mountains a few times or so, heading east to the Canadian Maritimes via Vermont, NH and Maine. They always seem so calm, friendly and inviting.

Have been foraging through some mountain pics, taken a few years back or so for shtufffs am tinkering with at the moment in the noggin. Will probably post somewhere, eventually..

Yes Hudson, we ran up, stopping only long enough to catch breath several times. Ran back down too and that was actually a lot harder! The whole thing took about 3 hours.

Dear Neeks — Both of these poems are so descriptive of their subjects; I can feel the sand between my toes, and the woodstove burning brightly in my father’s dining room. New England wishes you would come back, but I bet old England hopes you’ll stay! Beautiful!

Judith you are so sweet. I miss the smell of a woodstove when you walk into the house in the winter. The surprisingly earthy smell of snow – when I was a kid I thought it should smell like cotton candy or peppermint. I miss the bliss of coming into a warm house after being outside freezing our tails off. Picking out pumpkins in the fall just isn’t the same here when it’s still over 90 degrees and humid.

Lovely 🙂 We have snow today (finally!) and it’s falling in huge flakes, laying in soft drifts and making the whole world clean again. It reminds me a bit of the ocean, now, as no one has made it out to shovel, yet. Thanks so much for these beautiful thoughts, Neeks.

If I may, though both are really beautiful, I am rather partial to the first one, “To See the Sea Again.” I can relate to that one. Thank you for the privilege of reading words from your heart. 🙂

Until your next post, Amiga, take care!
~Virginia

Both were written about New Hampshire, although the sea anywhere is a living breathing thing to me. I think my second favorite place on earth would be the Pacific Northwest, along the coast or no – the Redwoods. No, the coast. No! Both, can I have both? LOL 😮